Where are the Tears?

A whispering hush fell on the whole congregation as each knelt in unison in prayer at the altar. Hands were on each other’s backs, heads were bowed, and all were in a reverential position of humility. Up to the rooftop, sobs echoed through the wooden rafters of the open ceiling. Humility shone through the tears that were flowing as all were crying out to the Lord.

This is a scene I have imagined in my mind many times over the years.  Stories have been told of tear-stained altars. Stories of prayers getting a hold of God. I look at the altars today and the carpet does not even look worn or soiled. Yes, I have been blessed to see people getting a hold of God, but I do not see the tears. Where are the Tears? Where are the stains at the altar?

Okay, ladies, let’s admit it, “We cry.” Yes, we all do it; and we do it so much better than the men. Yeah! Now, I would like to encourage us to start shedding tears during our prayers. I believe crying has been looked down upon in the past many years as embarrassing, so we have stopped crying in prayer time and at church. But, God does not see it that way and neither should we. God sees it as a humbling experience to cry a multitude of tears before him. I believe this shows the burdens of our heart to others around us. God already knows the heart. But others see our heart breaking over whatever it is we are crying about. Do not be embarrassed to cry. Let’s do what we do best and cry over lost souls, let’s cry for revival, let’s cry about those burdens we’ve hidden deep in our souls.

Hezekiah got an answer to his prayer and God gave him extended life because he prayed and God saw his tears.

II Kings 20:5 “Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.”

Esther sets an example for us. When she went before the King to get the letters reversed that Haman had written to destroy the Jews, Esther fell down at the King’s feet and cried.

Esther 8:3 “And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.”

Jeremiah wept for God’s people.

Jeremiah 13:17 “But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive.”

God’s people got themselves in such a mess they prayed like never before and tears ran like rivers down their faces.

Lamentation 2:18-19 “Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease. 19 Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord…”

The woman below did not even ask anything. She was just so thrilled to be spending time with her Lord that her emotions got the best of her. She did not care what others thought, she was going to please her Lord.

Luke 7:44 “And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.”

Now as to why “missing tears” has bothered me so much this week. I read this verse as part of my study for our Teen Girl’s, Sunday School class.

James 5:16 “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Then with during another study time, I read the verse (above) about Hezekiah and how God saw his tears in II Kings 20:5 “I have seen thy tears”

So, for days, I have pondered the “effectual fervent prayer” and the “righteous man” and “availeth much.” I pondered just what may be missing in this “effectual fervent prayer” – the tears!

Here are a few definitions from Webster’s 1828 to help us further understand James 5:16:

1. Effectual “Producing an effect, or the effect desired or intended; or having adequate power or force to produce the effect.”
2. Fervent “adjective [Latin fervens, from ferveo, to be hot, to boil, to glow.]
   1. Hot; boiling; as a fervent summer; fervent
   2. Hot in temper; vehement.
3. Righteous “adjective ri’chus.
   9. Just; accordant to the divine law. Applied to persons, it denotes one who is holy in heart, and observant of the divine commands in practice; as a righteous Preachers do an excellent job explaining this word – Just. Simply put, just as if I never sinned. I John 1:9. Keep sin confess and one is Just.
4. Availeth “[Latin valeo, to be strong or able, to profit, to be of force or authority; Eng. well. The primary sense is, to stretch or extend, whence strength, value.]
   1. To profit one’s self; to turn to advantage
   2. To assist or profit
   3. Advantage towards success; benefit
5. Much “adjective
   1. Great in quantity or amount.
   2. Long in duration. How much time is spent in trifling amusements!
   3. Many in number.”

In summary, I see it this way. If someone wants to get a hold of God and have “effectual fervent” prayers that “availeth much” then:

• Be Righteous/Just and keep sin confessed
• Pray effectual – Pray with power to get a desired effect. Do not be afraid to cry. So ladies, let’s cry during our prayers.
• Pray fervently – Pray with a temper as if the blood will boil. This isn’t prayer with anger, this is prayer with such an excitement or burden about something – tears will pour down the face. Remember the woman washing Jesus’s feet, she was deeply crying with emotion.
• Pray to Avail – Pray with only the strength God can give to pray such a prayer. Pray to move God like Hezekiah prayed. God saw his tears and it moved him to answer Hezekiah’s prayer. Get a hold of God like Hezekiah.
• Pray that the effectual, fervent prayer will avail much.

Psalm 126:5-6 “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

The “effectual fervent” prayer is the kind of prayer that will bring revival, it will see souls saved, it will move mountains. Let’s make our prayers more effectual and fervent so that our prayers “availeth much” and we can get those impossible mountains moved in our lives.

So, ladies, let’s do what we do best – cry! But with honesty and integrity, let’s cry before our Lord.